Each time you buy a used game, this is money that doesn't go into the pocket of the people that took the risk to create this, to finance it, to develop it.
— David Cage
We want to continue to explore new possibilities regarding interface and interaction. We experiment different solutions to make interface an important component for immersion rather than just a remote control.
I am afraid I am totally hermetic to social games in general.
I love unusual games, games that dare to be different and that are not based on violent actions.
The thing is, the better the hardware, the more time we spend to improve the visuals to take advantage of the hardware.
If you played 'Heavy Rain,' there are very few cutscenes and very few moments where you don't have control.
I don't differentiate game design and script; it is one and only document. I think that one of the biggest problem with storytelling in games is that people tend to separate story and interactivity. Both should be conceived as one entity, each using the other.
I think the difference between 'Heavy Rain' and 'Beyond' is that 'Heavy Rain' still had a lot of references to films. Especially in the mood, and it was a dark thriller... where, in 'Beyond,' we tried to create something truly original and doesn't refer to anything.
My goal is for 'Heavy Rain' to leave an imprint in you and change a little bit of who you are and how you see things. Maybe the key characters and key moments will leave a trace in you. If you don't have this ambition as a video-game creator, then maybe you should do something else, because this is what creation and art is about.
Not everybody's interested in shooting.
Our goal is to develop our studio as a global, multifranchise company while remaining an independent studio.
We're not going to just duplicate 'Heavy Rain,' because we are passionate about innovation and discovery, so we're trying to discover new ground and see how we can move from 'Heavy Rain' and create something even more immersive.
Every time you try to create an experience with a character who doesn't use a gun, doesn't drive a car, doesn't jump off platforms, doesn't solve puzzles, you are taking a risk.
Photography was inspired by painting, cinema by theatre and photography, I don't believe that any new art form was ever created from scratch.
The right way to enjoy 'Heavy Rain' is really to make one thing because it's going to be your story. It's going to be unique to you. It's really the story you decided to write.
As a storyteller, I've always been fascinated with the idea of recreating this notion of choices in fiction. My dream was to put the audience in the shoes of the main protagonists, let them make their own decisions, and by doing so, let them tell their own stories.
With 'Detroit,' we realized that we wanted to create an experience that could be meaningful.
We want to satisfy our fans, but we want to surprise them, too. That's our challenge.
'Indigo Prophecy' already brought a lot of new features to the traditional adventure genre, including the Action system, MultiView, Bending Stories, etc. 'Heavy Rain' will include features like advanced physics and AI, realistic characters and living environments.
'Papo & Yo' is an incredibly emotional experience. It shows that video games can talk about anything, even the most personal and sensitive matters.
I disagree that injecting emotion into a game comes at the expense of the playing experience.
Technology remains a tool: you can have the best tool in the world, but if you have nothing to say, it will remain an empty experience.
Most games end up with quite caricature scripts because they are just here to serve the game-play mechanics but not to trigger any emotional response.
Stories are emotional journey where we can project ourselves emotionally in another space.
When I started, I wanted probably to make games that were inspired by films that I liked.
I think it's a mistake to limit ourselves to a certain audience when we could reach everybody.
In a movie, you're just passive; you're just watching a story that is told to you. But in games, I saw that you could be the main protagonist: you could be in the shoes of the hero and make the decisions.
We want to keep developing original games in the genre we pioneered but also expand our audience by being present on all platforms.
Innovation is a big risk. It can also be a big reward - but a big punishment if you fail.
When you believe games can only be toys for kids and that you are successful at doing this, why would you look further and take risks exploring new directions?
Some media used to talk about video games only to say how violent or addictive they could be. With 'Heavy Rain,' they talked about the story of the game and the emotions they felt while playing.
I broke pretty much every rule of classic game design and tried to invent new ones.
We, as individuals, are defined by the choices we make. Some of our decisions can have very significant consequences and totally change the courses of our lives.
When you're a writer, you talk about things that move you, that you feel really deep inside you that's something that moves you, and you hope it'll move people, too.
I personally believe that more and more players think that 10 hours is the right kind of play time for a game.
The concept of 'Heavy Rain' is to offer real-life situations with real characters. There are no supernatural elements in the story.
People trying new ideas are a blessing for gamers and in the industry in general.
Some people are shocked when a game evokes real-world issues. But this platform is about becoming the characters, not just seeing them from the outside, like in a film.
If we keep making things based on violence and platform jumping, you don't need Ellen Page to do this, to be honest. It would be a waste of time and a waste of money.
For me, influences really come from everywhere: literature, comics, movies, anime, Internet, science, real-life situations. In fact, I think that writing is just about living.
Working on 'Beyond,' I try to give an explanation to death that's different from the explanation religions have to give. So I made up my own story around all this and how life and death and souls work.
I try to get better at what I'm doing, game after game.
I wish more people would be allowed to take risks and try new things and new ideas because new ideas are what this industry desperately needs. I mean, how many shooters can you make?
QTE is a very strange thing... it really depends on what you expect from your game experience.
I approach video games the same way I approach theatre, filmmaking, poetry, or painting. I wish more people would take that point of view. It would help the industry to move on.
Stop making the same games about shooting something and driving; try something else. There is a market for that.
The first movies were made by technicians building their own cameras. Movies became an art when technicians worked on the technique and artists took care of the content.
'Heavy Rain' was my baby, my reason to live, and my oxygen for four years. And seeing the successful release of the game has been the most extraordinary reward I could have dreamt of, after years of working in the dark.
I believe that interactive storytelling can be what cinema was in the 20th century: an art that deeply changes its time.
Choices are a very important part of our lives.
